Insights by Hunt & Hunt Lawyers

Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Corporate & Commercial Law

Shareholder oppression: a $3.6 million warning for business owners

A $3,587,557 buy-out price for shares the majority shareholders claimed were worthless highlights the risks of shareholder oppression. The ANIT Australia proceedings demonstrate how exclusion from management, inaccurate financial records and diverted income can lead to Court intervention, with important lessons for business owners about minority shareholder rights, share valuations and the remedies available when relationships break down.

Corporate & Commercial Law, Business Law, Mergers & Acquisitions

How to prepare your business for sale (and protect its value)

Sale-readiness starts well before a buyer makes an offer. Zahara Bedewi-Hayes explains how organised records, clear contracts and reduced owner dependence can protect business value and strengthen your negotiating position.

Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Corporate & Commercial Law, Business Law, Governance, Risk & Compliance

More Than a Job Title: When Courts Look at What Was Actually Done

A job title does not always tell the full story. In *Lao v Taing*, the Victorian Court of Appeal examined a company secretary’s actual role in managing a property sale and distributing settlement funds, offering a reminder for family businesses and private ventures.

Corporate & Commercial Law, Business Structuring & Transactions, Mergers & Acquisitions

What business sellers get wrong about IP ownership

When selling a business, intellectual property can be one of the most valuable assets being transferred. But sellers are often caught out by created IP, especially where software, branding, website content or processes were developed by contractors, freelancers or agencies without a proper written assignment.

Corporate & Commercial Law, Litigation & Dispute Resolution

When a director is not a director: the Dream Harvest case

A recent Victorian Supreme Court decision has confirmed that a person listed on the ASIC register as a director may not be a director at all if they never gave genuine consent, never acted in the role and received no benefit from the appointment.

Agribusiness & Regional Enterprises, Energy, Resources & Environment, Financial Services & Insurance, Industrial, Manufacturing & Logistics, Property Development & Construction, Retail, Hospitality & Consumer Services, Technology, Media & Telecommunications, Corporate & Commercial Law, Business Law, Mergers & Acquisitions